Abbatacola: Right Move, Wrong Time

CHICAGO (WSCR) — Tom Ricketts confuses me. I want to believe that he is a smart business man and will grow into a great owner in baseball, but sometimes he makes decisions that raise more questions than provide answers.

On July 22, Ricketts met with Jim Hendry and told him that he was being fired. Hendry stayed in the position and carried on the duties of a general manager until August 19.

The reason? To make sure the kids in the organization drafted were signed. Really? The Cubs’ draft class of 2011 better be full of Hall of Famers.

Hey Tom, I need help understanding this move.

You allowed your fired GM to control your baseball team at the trade deadline when by the way, no moves were made. Now, granted, there were no deals to be made that would have totally impacted the Cubs for years to come, but why not make a move with Pena, Grabow, Wood, Marshall, or Marmol for some prospects and see what might develop. No deals were made except for Fukudome because Jim Hendry, the FIRED GM, didn’t believe that any moves could help the Cubs in the future or that the players named might be part of the Cubs core for the future – a future that he would not be part of.

I’m so confused.

Hendry’s last act as GM was to place Carlos Zambrano on the disqualified list. No one disagrees with that move.

It’s clear that since the July 22 meeting when Hendry was fired that he has still had full control of the daily baseball operations.

So why did Ricketts feel the need to tell Hendry on July 22 that he was fired and then allow him to continue to work? Why couldn’t Ricketts just wait until today to fire Hendry? I think it was the right move, but Ricketts should have done it when he took over the team. Jim Hendry had no chance to win with this team the last season and a half.

All Ricketts did was waste time. Mine, yours, and mostly his own.

Matt Abbatacola covers the Cubs for 670 The Score. For more Cubs updates, follow him on Twitter (@MattAbbatacola).